Cyclically operating machine for filling containers

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to a cyclically operating machine for filling containers and closing them with caps. A closure station thereof includes a cap feeder for feeding the caps to the containers, and a sorting device for aligning and separating the caps and transferring them to the cap feeder. The cap feeder positions the caps individually on a respective container and closes the container with the cap. The cap feeder is arranged such that it can be moved back and forth, and is provided with a drive which is designed for moving the cap feeder.

PRIOR ART

The present invention relates to a cyclically operating machine for filling and closing containers, such as containers for medications.

Machines for filling and closing containers are known in various embodiments from the prior art. In principle, a distinction is made between cyclical machines and continuous machines. In continuous machines, containers are continuously filled with a product and then closed with a cap or the like. The filled containers are moved continuously past a closure station. Such continuously operating machines are very complicated in their construction, however, and are thus quite expensive. This is why cyclically operating machines also exist, which can be produced markedly less expensively. Because of the cyclical mode of operation, such cyclical machines have a relatively lower yield, and the containers to be filled are typically moved forward intermittently, being in motion approximately one-third of the time and at a stop approximately two-thirds of the time. Because of the intermittent mode of operation, the work stations of the cyclical machine for filling and closing can be constructed more simply and economically. However, with cyclical machines, it has been found that particularly the closure of the filled containers with a cap or the like is problematic and time-consuming, and the closure station is a in capacity in terms of the yield of the cyclical machines.

ADVANTAGES OF THE INVENTION

The cyclically operating machine according to the invention for filling and closing containers, having the characteristics of claim 1, has the advantage over the prior art that despite cyclical filling of the containers, it has a very high yield. This is attained according to the invention by providing that a closure station of the machine has at least some movable elements, to enable closing filled containers with caps even during the stopped time of the intermittently operating machine. The machine according to the invention nevertheless has a simple and economical construction. According to the invention, the cyclical machine includes a closure station with a cap feeder and a sorting device. The sorting device orients the caps intended for the closure, separates them, and transfers them to the cap feeder. The cap feeder places the caps individually on the filled containers and thus closes them. At least the cap feeder is disposed movably and includes a drive mechanism that moves the cap feeder. Thus because of the motion of the cap feeder, caps can be placed on the containers and the containers can be closed even during the stopped time of the containers. It should be noted that the term “cap” is understood according to the invention to mean any kind of closure or lid that is suitable for closing containers.

The dependent claims show preferred refinements of the invention.

Preferably, the cap feeder of the closure station is disposed on a movable slide. As a result, by moving the slide, the cap feeder can be moved relative to the containers. The slide is preferably disposed on rollers, so as to present as little resistance to motion as possible.

Also preferably, the sorting device of the closure station is disposed in stationary fashion, and there is a gap between the movable cap feeder and the sorting device. At the gap, there is a transfer path at the sorting device for transferring the caps from the sorting device to the cap feeder. Because of the stationary sorting device, the mass that must be moved in the motion of the cap feeder can in particular be reduced.

In an alternative preferred embodiment of the invention, the sorting device is fixed on the cap feeder and is disposed movably jointly with the cap feeder. As a result, in particular the transfer path between the sorting device and the cap feeder for transferring the caps can be constructed quite simply. The sorting device and the cap feeder are preferably fixed on a plate or the like which is disposed movably.

Also preferably, the cap feeder includes an essentially horizontal rail region and an essentially vertical rail region. The caps are delivered from the sorting device first to the horizontal rail region and then to the vertical rail region and from the vertical rail region they are slipped onto to the containers.

In a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the cap feeder is disposed pivotably about a pivot point. As a result, a motion of the cap feeder can be attained by pivoting, so that a very simple and economical construction is possible.

Preferably, the cap feeder includes only one essentially vertical rail region, so that the sorting device 3 is disposed directly on the vertical rail region, and the caps are transferred from the device directly into the vertical rail region. As a result, an especially compact construction can be attained.

Also preferably, a differential speed of the motion between the cap feeder and the intermittently delivered containers is constant, both when the containers are stopped and when the containers are in motion. As a result, a secure closure of the containers with caps can be made possible. Thus for both containers in motion and stopped containers, the caps can be placed onto the containers at the same speed. Alternatively, a differential speed between the cap feeder and the containers is not constant.

In a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the closure station further includes a lever, for converting a rotary motion of the drive mechanism into a linear reciprocating motion of the cap feeder. As a result, an especially simple, economical construction of the machine can be attained.

Preferably, the cyclical machine further includes a control device, which varies a drive direction of the drive mechanism. Thus by simply switching over, the drive mechanism can cause the cap feeder to change its direction of motion, so that only a slight mechanical construction is necessary.

Also preferably, the drive mechanism of the cap feeder is embodied such that with the containers stopped, the cap feeder is movable in a direction counter to a feeding direction of the containers. This makes a minimal reciprocating travel distance of the cap feeder possible. Moreover, upon a feeding motion of the containers, a direction of motion of the cap feeder is preferably the same as the feeding motion of the containers. However, then a speed of motion of the cap feeder must differ from the speed of motion of the containers, in order to slip caps onto the containers. Preferably, the speed of motion of the cap feeder is less than the speed of motion of the containers.

The cyclical machine according to the invention is used in particular for filling containers for medications, such as vials or carpules or syringes, and so forth. The caps can for instance be rubber stoppers or crimped caps that optionally also have preinstalled sealing elements.

DRAWINGS

Below, exemplary embodiments of the invention are described in detail in conjunction with the drawings. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a cyclical machine in a first exemplary embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of the machine shown in FIG. 1, with the containers at a stop;

FIG. 3 is a side view of the machine shown in FIG. 1, with the containers in motion;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged side view of the machine as caps are being slipped onto the containers; and

FIG. 5 is a schematic top view on a machine in a second exemplary embodiment of the invention.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

Below, in conjunction with FIGS. 1 through 4, a cyclical machine for filling and closing containers 5 in a first exemplary embodiment will be described in detail; in FIGS. 1 through 4, only a closure station 1 of the cyclical machine is shown, to which already-filled containers 5 are delivered. The cyclical filling of the containers, for instance with medications or the like, is effected in a known manner.

As shown in FIG. 1, the closure station 1 of the cyclical machine includes a cap feeder 2 and a sorting device 3. The sorting device 3 has the task of orienting and separating the caps and delivering them to the cap feeder 2. The cap feeder 2 includes an essentially horizontal rail region 2 a with a delivery rail 20 and an essentially vertical rail region 2 b. In the cap feeder 2, the caps 4 are delivered individually and in succession in the correct position to one end 2 c of the vertical rail region 2 b. At the end 2 c of the vertical rail region 2 b, there is a cap shoe 21, which in its region oriented toward the containers 5 has an inclined plane 22 (see FIG. 4). The caps 4 are placed from the cap feeder 2 directly onto the containers 5 and are pressed by means of the inclined plane 22 of the cap shoe 21 onto the containers 5. The containers 5 are thus closed. As schematically indicated in FIGS. 1 through 4, the containers 5 are moved intermittently by means of a conveyor device 6, such as a conveyor belt. This intermittent motion depends in particular on the intermittent filling operation of the containers 5.

The closure station 1 furthermore includes a plate 7, on which the cap feeder 2 and the sorting device 3 are secured. The plate 7 in turn is supported on four rollers 8, which can be moved linearly in the direction of the double arrow A shown in FIG. 1 on rails 9 by means of a drive mechanism, not shown. As the drive mechanism, a servo motor or a cam drive or a lever construction, which converts a rotary motion of the drive mechanism into a linear reciprocating motion, can be used. The rails 9 are fixed in stationary fashion on a base 10. The base 10 may be secured for instance to a machine frame of the cyclically operating machine.

As can be seen from FIG. 1, the horizontal rail region 2 a with the delivery rail 20 has a predetermined inclination, so that the caps 4 located in the delivery rail 20 are delivered automatically in the direction of the cap shoe 21 by gravity.

The function of the closure station of the invention for a cyclical machine is as follows: The filling operation of the containers 5 of the cyclical machine predetermines a cyclical motion of the containers 5 such that for approximately one-third of the cycle time, the containers 5 are in motion, and for approximately two-thirds of the cycle time the containers are stopped, so that the filling operation can be performed. In FIG. 1, the direction of motion of the containers 5 is represented by the arrow B. FIGS. 2 and 3 clearly illustrate the principle of the motion characteristic of the closure station 1. FIG. 2 shows a state of the cyclical machine in which the containers 5 are not in motion. When the containers 5 are in the stopped phase of the cycle, the cap feeder 2 is moved in the direction of the arrow C, counter to the actual feeding direction of the containers 5. The result is a relative motion between the containers 5 and the cap feeder 2, so that caps 4 can be slipped onto the stopped containers 5. When the motion cycle of the containers 5, lasting approximately one-third of the total cycle, begins, the direction of motion of the cap feeder 2 is reversed. This state is shown in FIG. 3. The containers 5 are moved in the direction of the arrow B, and the cap feeder 2 is moved together with the sorting device 3 in the direction of the arrow D. In order to achieve a relative motion between the moving containers 5 and the moving cap feeder 2, which are now being moved in the same direction, a speed of motion of the cap feeder 2 is less than that of the containers 5. This is symbolically represented in FIG. 3 by the length of the respective arrows B and D. Thus a relative motion resumes between the cap feeder 2 and the moving containers 5, and the containers 5 beneath the cap shoe 21 are moved faster than the cap shoe 21 itself is moved in the same direction. Thus even during the phase of motion of the cycle, caps 4 can be slipped onto to the containers 5.

It should be noted that the speed of motion of the cap feeder 2 in either direction is preferably selected in each case such that a differential speed between the cap feeder 2 and the containers 5 is constant in each case. Alternatively, the motion of the cap feeder 2 can also be defined, for instance by an oscillating motion, such that the differential speed between the cap feeder 2 and the containers 5 increases and decreases again in the course of one motion cycle. To enable a lasting resupply of caps 4, however, the differential speed should never drop all the way to zero. Thus the direction of motion of the cap feeder at the time can simply be controlled alternatively by means of a control device that merely ascertains whether the containers 5 are at the time stopped or in motion and drives the cap feeder accordingly. According to the invention, it can thus be assured that the caps 4 can always be delivered continuously and uninterruptedly from the sorting device 3 to the containers 5, the filling of the containers 5 being done by means of an intermittently operating machine. As a result, the overall construction of the machine can be made quite simple and economical, and nevertheless a high throughput per unit of time of the machine can be attained. For instance, by means of the intermittent machine, approximately 200 to 400 containers per minute can be produced in conjunction with the closure station 1 of the invention.

In conjunction with FIG. 5, a machine with a closure station 1 in a second exemplary embodiment of the invention will now be described in detail. Parts that are identical or functionally identical are identified by the same reference numerals as in the first exemplary embodiment.

In a distinction from the previous exemplary embodiment, in the second exemplary embodiment the sorting device 3 of the closure station 1 is disposed in stationary fashion. A stationary transfer region 3 b is also provided on the sorting device 3, by way of which region the caps 4 are transferred to the cap feeder 2. The cap feeder 2 has a delivery rail 20, which is disposed pivotably about a pivot point S. A stationary connection piece 23 connects the sorting device to the pivotable delivery rail 20. In FIG. 5, dashed lines represent a second terminal position after pivoting of the delivery rail and of a cap shoe, which are designated by reference numerals 20′ and 21′, respectively. The double arrow E represents the reciprocating pivoting motion of the delivery rail 20. The pivoting motion of the delivery rail 20 about the pivot point S again makes it possible for caps 4 to be slipped onto the containers 5 both during the phase of motion of the cycle and during the stopped phase of the cycle. To enable easy pivoting of the delivery rail 20, the delivery rail 20, in the region of the pivot point S, is for instance made in bellows-like fashion of flexible material. To assure secure placement of the caps 4 on the containers 5, it should be noted that depending on the radius of motion of the cap shoe 21, the containers 5 can also be delivered to below the cap shoe 21, at an identical radius. Otherwise, this exemplary embodiment corresponds to the preceding exemplary embodiment, and thus the description of the latter can be referred to.

For an especially compact construction of the machine, it should be noted that the cap feeder 2 can also dispense with the horizontal rail region, and the caps can be delivered from the sorting device 3 directly into the vertical rail region 2 b. 

1-12. (canceled)
 13. A cyclically operating machine for filling containers and then closing containers with caps, including a closure station having a cap feeder means which delivers the caps to the containers, the closure station having a sorting means which orients, separates, and transfers the caps to the cap feeder, the cap feeder means placing the caps individually each on a respective container and closing the container with the cap, wherein the cap feeder is disposed movably back and forth and includes a drive mechanism, which is designed for moving the cap feeder.
 14. The machine as defined by claim 13, wherein the cap feeder means is disposed on a movable slide.
 15. The machine as defined by claim 13, wherein the sorting means is disposed in stationary fashion, and between the cap feeder means and the sorting means a gap is embodied, by way of which a transfer of the caps from the sorting means to the cap feeder means is effected.
 16. The machine as defined by claim 14, wherein the sorting means is disposed in stationary fashion, and between the cap feeder means and the sorting means a gap is embodied, by way of which a transfer of the caps from the sorting means to the cap feeder means is effected.
 17. The machine as defined by claim 13, wherein the sorting means is disposed on the cap feeder means and is disposed movably back and forth jointly with the cap feeder means.
 18. The machine as defined by claim 14, wherein the sorting means is disposed on the cap feeder means and is disposed movably back and forth jointly with the cap feeder means.
 19. The machine as defined by claim 13, wherein the cap feeder means includes an essentially horizontal rail region and an essentially vertical rail region.
 20. The machine as defined by claim 14, wherein the cap feeder means includes an essentially horizontal rail region and an essentially vertical rail region.
 21. The machine as defined by claim 15, wherein the cap feeder means includes an essentially horizontal rail region and an essentially vertical rail region.
 22. The machine as defined by claim 17, wherein the cap feeder means includes an essentially horizontal rail region and an essentially vertical rail region.
 23. The machine as defined by claim 19, wherein the cap feeder means is disposed pivotably about a pivot point.
 24. The machine as defined by claim 13, wherein the cap feeder means includes an essentially vertical rail region, and the essentially vertical rail region is disposed directly on the sorting means, in order to transfer the caps from the sorting means directly into the essentially vertical rail region.
 25. The machine as defined by claim 14, wherein the cap feeder means includes an essentially vertical rail region, and the essentially vertical rail region is disposed directly on the sorting means, in order to transfer the caps from the sorting means directly into the essentially vertical rail region.
 26. The machine as defined by claim 15, wherein the cap feeder means includes an essentially vertical rail region, and the essentially vertical rail region is disposed directly on the sorting means, in order to transfer the caps from the sorting means directly into the essentially vertical rail region.
 27. The machine as defined by claim 16, wherein the cap feeder means includes an essentially vertical rail region, and the essentially vertical rail region is disposed directly on the sorting means, in order to transfer the caps from the sorting means directly into the essentially vertical rail region.
 28. The machine as defined by claim 13, wherein a differential speed between the cap feeder means and the containers is constant.
 29. The machine as defined by claim 13, wherein a differential speed between the cap feeder means and the containers varies continuously during the motion of the cap feeder means.
 30. The machine as defined by claim 13, further including a lever which converts a rotary motion of the drive mechanism into a reciprocating motion of the cap feeder means.
 31. The machine as defined by claim 13, further including a control device for varying a drive direction of the drive mechanism, in order to furnish the reciprocating motion of the cap feeder means.
 32. The machine as defined by claim 13, wherein upon a feeding motion of the containers, the cap feeder means is movable in the same direction as the feeding motion, and a speed of motion of the cap feeder means is less than a speed of motion of the containers. 